


the way the twilight shined

by knifelesbian



Series: Anne With An E: Coda [2]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knifelesbian/pseuds/knifelesbian
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: Anne With An E: Coda [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968544
Kudos: 41





	the way the twilight shined

There are many reasons for Anne’s excitement as she wakes up this morning. One, it’s her birthday. Two, she’s having all her friends come visit in a real bonafide party. Three, Cole is one of those friends. And, four, did she mention it’s her birthday? Because it is. Anne Shirley Cuthbert is officially 15 years old, and she doesn’t know what to do with herself.   
  
She does her morning chores with a huge grin on her face, and neither Matthew or Marilla question her cheery disposition. They just wish her a happy birthday and move on from it. She wasn’t expecting anything more than that, especially with the party after school. She’s just glad they remembered.   
  
But when she returns from her chores to get ready for school, there’s a beautiful new dress on her bed. It’s as green as the everlasting pine trees that stretch above them nearly everywhere on the island, and as she looks closer she notices embroidery at the hem and the (unpuffed, but that’s alright) sleeves, intricate leaves stitched in shimmery green thread.   
  
“Do you like it?”   
  
Anne turns to Marilla in the doorway, clutching the dress to her chest as she says gratefully, “Oh, Marilla, it’s beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”    
  
She puts the dress down and rushes to hug Marilla, squeezing tightly. Marilla pats her back a bit awkwardly, as she often does when Anne hugs her, and says, “Well, now, aren’t you going to try it on?”   
  
Anne pulls back and nods enthusiastically, glad it doesn’t hurt as it once did from her incident on the ice last month. Marilla chuckles, then leaves, closing the door behind her so Anne can pull off her nightclothes and pull on this wonder of a dress. Other than her dress from Matthew, all of her dresses before this one have been brown, grey, or black, and it’s such a dream to wear one in as beautiful a colour as this. She twirls around, admiring herself in the mirror, and the door creaks open once again.   
  
“Anne, I have been wondering if…since you’re fifteen, now, would you like to wear your hair in a different style?” Anne is already nodding excitedly. That would be lovely. Marilla leads her to the vanity and drags over a chair so Anne can sit down in front of it, worn but strong hands unraveling her braids and pulling a brush through her hair to tame it. Anne’s hair is just about to her (tiny, barely noticeable) bosom now, so Marilla is able to pull part of it back, like the way Diana or Prissy do their hair. She’s expecting Marilla to just tie the ribbon there, but instead she takes the (surprisingly thicker, who knew cutting all your hair off could lead to more volume) piece of hair and starts to braid it, where she then ties it with a ribbon.    
  
Once she’s done, Anne smoothes her hand over her hair, relishing in how it feels against her fingers. Her eyes are closed, as they have been since Marilla started, but now she snaps them open. “Oh, Marilla, it’s….” she can’t say beautiful. Marilla has made it very clear that she agrees with Anne on her being ugly and plain. “It’s such a nice change, I love it. Thank you.”   
  
“Well, I’m glad you like it. Hurry on, now, you have to eat before school.”   
  
~~~~~   
  
This is a bad idea. Gilbert should just wait until after school, wait until the party, wait until it’s not absolutely ridiculous to give her this gift. But here he is, waiting at the gate of Green Gables, nervously fiddling with the box in his hands. He’s just glad that, at the least, he managed to hide this from Bash and Mary. They would have never let him live it down.   
  
Gilbert starts to pace, working out just what he’ll say to Anne.  _ I wanted to give this to you early because I wanted it to be special- _ no, too romantic.  _ These were my mother’s, I know they’re not new but I wanted you to have them- _ true, but again, it seems too intimate. Like something you’d say to someone you’re courting. And, well, Gilbert is planning to court her. Eventually. When he works up the nerve.  _ I know you like pretty things, and these are the second prettiest thing I could find. You’re the first- _ no, that’s just stupid.   
  
“What are you doing?”    
  
Gilbert almost jumps out of his skin, but is relieved to find that it’s Jerry asking him this, not Anne. He still hasn’t worked out what to say yet. “Uh, I wanted to give Anne her gift, you know, for her birthday?”   
  
Jerry is holding a pitchfork, and boy, do those prongs look sharp. He narrows his eyes. “And why do you need to do that now? Couldn’t it wait until this afternoon?”   
  
He fiddles with the box, feeling as though he’s getting the shovel talk from a protective younger brother. “I- it was on my way,”  _ liar, _ “and I thought-“   
  
“Gilbert? What are you doing here?”    
  
Anne trots up to them, and,  _ oh. _ She looks beautiful. Her dress must be new, because he’s never seen her wear it before- he definitely would have remembered how pretty she looks in this shade of green. And her hair, oh, her hair. Gone are the two adorable braids down her back, replaced by half of Anne’s hair being tied up and the other half hanging loose and wavy. Her hair looks so soft, and all Gilbert wants to do is reach out and run his fingers through it.   
  
“A-Anne! I- I have your gift. For your birthday. Which is today. Happy birthday?” Both Jerry and Anne look at him oddly, and he supposes that he deserves it. He is acting quite weird, after all.   
  
Anne climbs over the fence and drops down in front of him, which she should  _ not _ do because it is dangerous and she’s only just recovered from her last injury. But she wouldn’t listen to him if he said anything, so he’ll leave it. For now. She smooths down her dress, then turns to Jerry, who’s now leaning on the fence, watching them. Anne unsubtly tilts her head in the direction of the barn, but Jerry shakes his head, so Anne bugs her eyes out and lifts her eyebrows in a very clear message of,  _ leave us alone. _ Jerry rolls his eyes, but strolls back to the barn, chuckling to himself.   
  
Anne turns back to him, smoothing her hands over her dress once more. She must really love that thing, she can’t stop fiddling with it. “Sorry about him. So…you said you had something for me?”   
  
“Right. Yes.” He hands her the box, and, excited, she starts to open it.   
  
“You’re acting very odd today, Gilbert, are you….feeling…alright….” she trails off as she sees what’s in the box, carefully lifting the silky mauve ribbons with one finger. “Oh,” Anne says softly, voice full of wonder, “oh, they’re beautiful.”   
  
Gilbert grins. “I’m glad you like them. I found them hidden away recently- they were my mother’s, and I thought you’d like to have them.”   
  
“Your mother’s-? Gilbert, I can take these.” Anne tries to hand them back, but he covers her hands with his and gently pushes them back.   
  
“They’re not getting any use with me, Anne, and I want you to have them. Unless you don’t want-“   
  
“I want them!”  _ Gotcha. _ She clutches the ribbons tightly, like she thinks he’s going to take them from her. “Thank you, Gilbert.”   
  
He waits for a second, then asks, “Aren’t you going to try them on?”   
  
Her mouth forms an  _ o _ in surprise. She nods, then unties the ribbon she was wearing before and starts to tie the one he gave her. She seems to be having trouble, so Gilbert asks, “Want some help?”   
  
“Oh, sure, yeah.” She hands him the ribbons, turning around, and oh, Gilbert didn’t notice the braid until now. It makes her look like a storybook princess.   
  
Carefully, he ties the bow at the end of the braid, smoothing his hand over it to make sure it’s tight enough. “There.”   
  
Anne turns back around, smiling at him in that way that always makes his cheeks a little red. “Thanks. Walk with me?”   
  
He nods eagerly, and they get on their way. They chat amicably, but Anne is clearly nervous about something from the way she keeps fidgeting. He’s about to ask if she’s alright when Diana comes round the bend, rushing towards them.   
  
“Anne! Happy- Gilbert? What are you doing here?”    
  
“Green Gables was on the way, so I stopped by to drop off Anne’s gift.” Diana looks at him suspiciously, but joins them on their walk, seemingly letting it go.   
  
“Okaaay. Anyways, happy birthday!” She clutches Anne’s arm, cheeks rosy from excitement. “Your gift is kind of big, so I left it at home to give it to you at the party. Your hair looks lovely, by the way- and I love the new ribbon!”   
  
Anne smoothes a hand over her hair, almost subconsciously. “Thank you.” She pauses, biting her lip. “Gilbert gave it to me, actually. Isn’t it so divine?”   
  
Diana looks at the both of them with such judgement that Gilbert feels as though he’s in court. “Yes, Anne, it’s beautiful. Mauve is such a pretty colour on you.”   
  
~~~~~   
  
Anne blushes, looking down for a moment. “Thank you,” she says softly, “that’s very kind.”   
  
Even if it’s not true.    
  
She wants to tell Diana how wicked it is to lie, but it’s her birthday. So she’ll let herself pretend Diana means it.   
  
They walk to school together, two raven haired beauties and an ugly, scrawny redhead.   
  
For once, Anne has a school day where nothing goes wrong. Josie shuts her mouth for once, Billy is out sick, and Ruby, though she looks like she wants to, doesn’t say one thing about Anne and Gilbert walking in together. Ms Stacey takes them outside and shows them an experiment with the sunshine, a magnifying glass, and a small pile of leaves that Anne thinks is quite possibly the most magnificent thing in the world, and even lets them out early. This is shaping up to be the best birthday ever.   
  
Anne is gathering her things, almost ready to leave when someone comes to stand next to her.    
  
“Can I walk you home?” Gilbert asks, because of course it’s Gilbert. “I could help you and Marilla get ready for the party.” Ruby is right there, she can’t say yes. Even if she really, really wants to. Seeing her apprehension, Gilbert licks his lips, thinking, then says, “I can help with the tall stuff?”   
  
Anne raises an eyebrow, pretending to think on it just to make him sweat. “Well, we could use a hand with some of the decorations.” Gilbert’s face breaks into a wide smile. “Cole isn’t supposed to be here until later, so it'll be good to have someone tall around. Come along, then.”   
  
She whips around, grabbing her things and heading outside. Diana, who had a head start, meets them, looking amused at Gilbert’s presence. They walk together until Diana has to split off, and then they’re alone, just the two of them.    
  
“Are you glad to be fifteen?”    
  
“Hmm,” she says, chewing on it. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m excited for the new experiences, new challenges, new people I’m going to meet. But…I didn’t have much of a childhood, and now it feels like it’s already slipping through my fingers. Next year I’ll be sixteen, that’s practically old age.” Anne looks up at the swaying trees, sunlight winking through the gaps in the branches. It’s a surprisingly warm day for early March, and she’s glad for it.   
  
Gilbert laughs, a joyous sound in the quiet of the forest. “Anne,  _ I’m _ sixteen.”   
  
She shrugs. “And? You’re the most old fashioned person I know.” He opens his mouth, offended in a way that can only be theatrics, but Anne rebuffs any argument he might have in a bad imitation of his voice,  _ “Any dragons around here need slaying?” _ _   
_   
He throws his head back in a laugh, and she forces her eyes away from his exposed neck. “I do not sound like that!”   
  
“Oh, but you do. I have honed that impression to a T, and I can guarantee that that is what you sound like.” No, she hasn’t, and no, it isn’t. But she wants to make him laugh again.   
  
Gilbert raises an eyebrow. “Now, what is it you’ve been pretending to be me for?”   
  
“Oh, you know,” Anne says, coming up with a reason on the spot, “can’t make fun of you to the girls without a decent impression.”   
  
Gilbert shrugs, conceding. “True enough.”   
  
Anne is trying to come up with something, anything to say, just to keep the conversation going, when she trips over a root and-   
  
Gilbert catches her. One hand wrapped around her back, and the other supporting her head. But that’s not what it feels like. It feels like she’s just been dipped and is about to get kissed. She’s never been this close to him before, their faces mere inches apart- except that she has. That time they were blowing out the candles on the Christmas tree, which seems like a lifetime ago, now. Anne thinks he may have wanted to kiss her, then. There was something in his eyes that told her, and she sees the same look on his face now.   
  
She gulps. “Thanks.”   
  
“No problem.” His voice is soft, fond, and it sets something off in the pit of her stomach. Gilbert helps her stand, the hand at her neck and entangled in her hair leaving her last. Anne mourns the loss like she’s just been told every person in Avonlea has just died a terrible death.   
  
For a moment they just look at each other, until Anne remembers herself and averts her eyes. “Anyway.”   
  
Gilbert nods, just once. “Anyway.”   
  
~~~~~   
  
As they come up on Green Gables, Anne sees the fancy carriage parked near the house and immediately drops her school things, starting to sprint towards the house.   
  
“Anne, what are you-“ he picks up her school things and starts to jog after her, panting. Gilbert needs to be doing more exercise, the constant pace of exertion from his work on the steamer dropped so suddenly when he returned that it’s like he’s lost all of his endurance.   
  
The door swings open, and, oh, Cole. He must’ve shown up early.    
  
He jumps off the porch towards Anne, and they crash into each other, laughing. Cole picks her up and swings her around a few times, but Anne, delighted, doesn’t seem to care.    
  
Gilbert catches up to them just as Cole sets her down, starting to run his fingers through Anne’s hair. Gilbert feels a pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach.  _ I wish that were me, why can’t that be me?  _ “You’ve changed your hair!”   
  
“I have! Isn’t it nice? Marilla said that since I’m fifteen now, I should have a different style. What do you think?”   
  
“Hmm,” Cole says, clearly joking. “Spin for me?”   
  
Obligingly, Anne turns in a circle so he can get the full Experience. “So?”   
  
Cole grabs her by the shoulders, and once again Gilbert has to try and quell the jealousy that’s threatening to rise. This isn’t fair. Cole smiles. “You look like a princess.”   
  
Anne rolls her eyes, clearly pleased. “Sure, Cole. And I’m a natural blonde, too.”   
  
Cole gasps in mock surprise. “Really? I never knew!”    
  
She laughs joyously, then says, “Cole, you know Gilbert.”   
  
Gilbert sticks out his hand, and they shake. “Nice to see you, Cole.”   
  
Cole raises an eyebrow at Anne. “And you, the same. Anne, can I talk to you for a minute?”   
  
Anne turns to Gilbert. “You said you wanted to help, right? Would you go in and seek out Marilla? She’ll give you something to do.”   
  
Oh. Okay. His mouth tightens, but instead of getting upset he just nods, heading inside.   
  
~~~~~   
  
What’s going on with Gilbert?   
  
He’s been odd today, but she has a feeling that if she asked him what’s wrong he wouldn’t tell her.  _ Boys. _ _   
_   
“So, you and Gilbert, huh?”   
  
Her eyes go wide. “What? No! Cole, I told you, he doesn’t like me that way.”   
  
Cole raises an eyebrow. “You sure? Because walking you home and carrying your books both seem like the habits of someone who likes you.”   
  
She blushes to the tips of her hair. “W-well, I-I mean- you see, Gilbert is-“   
  
Cole cuts off her stuttering with a hearty laugh. It strikes her now how much happier Cole looks. Healthier, too. Less frail boy afraid of himself and more young man ready to take on the world. “Sure, Anne.”   
  
The party is the most fun she’s had in ages. The last time she enjoyed herself this much was probably when her, Diana, Moody, Cole, and Ruby hopped that freight. Today has been less adventurous, sure, but it’s still definitely one for the books.   
  



End file.
